1. If the virtuous are mentioned one day for their merit,
Say that Ismail is the foremost meritorious one.
١. إذا ذكر المجدون يوما لفضلهم
فقل إن إسماعيل أول مفضل
2. A prince, even if he does not wear a crown by custom,
Upon him is the crown of a splendid seat.
٢. أمير إذا لم يلبس التاج عادة
فان عليه تاج محل مؤثل
3. The sickly fate has been set right by his justice,
And none have tired him except the evils of ignorance.
٣. قد اعتدل الدهر السقيم بعدله
ولم يحنه الا مفاسد جهل
4. So it was life for them to see him,
That he turns away at the pace of the shackled pace.
٤. فكان حييا منهم ان يراهم
فيطرق عند الخطو خطو المكبل
5. Good fortune has come to him among the people in his leadership,
Its praises recited at every gathering.
٥. سرى له بين الانام على سرت
مدائحها الريا عل كل محفل
6. With his brilliant rising, our sorrows disappeared,
And the hopes of every hard-pressed hopeful increased.
٦. بطلعته الغراء زالت كروبنا
وزادت اماني كل عان مومل
7. His merit extends over the entire land,
Equally whether one is far or near.
٧. يمد على كل البرية فضله
فسيان فيه من تباعد او ولى
8. And do people intend anything but his security,
When the turning of fate perplexes them?
٨. وهل يقصدن الناس الا امانه
اذا نابهم صرف الزمان بمعضل
9. Loyalty is built up in his leaves with praise of him,
And the world invokes blessings for him in detailed words.
٩. تشيد الوف في فورق بمدحه
وتدعو له الدنيا بقول مفصل
10. The shelterer of orphans, the source of the hopeful,
The supporter of the destitute, the place of refuge of the helpless.
١٠. معيل اليتامى منهل للمؤمل
معين الايامي موئل للمعول
11. We count the turns of fate and they are many,
But more than them is the generosity of his first shelter.
١١. نعد صروف الدهر وهي كثيرة
واكثر منها جود راحته الولى
12. So one who aspires to honor feels safe in his company,
And in that steadfast pillar, so alight.
١٢. فيأمن يروم العز يمم جنابه
وفي ذلك الركن المصمد فانزل
13. For this is Mu'izz al-Din, piety is his nature,
So be like the son of Hani in praise and length.
١٣. فهذا معز الدين شيمته التقى
فكن كابن هاني في المديح وطول
14. And this is the one who revived poetry with his generosity,
While with others it is dead, not joined.
١٤. وهذا الذي احيى القريض بجوده
وعند سواه ميت لم يزمل
15. And this son of Ibrahim, he nurtured honor with his glory,
Above all the honored, lofty and exalted.
١٥. وهذا ابن ابراهيم اربى بعزه
على كل ذي عز معم ومخول
16. We see his love as duty, and his pleasure as purpose,
And praising him as the rhymed verse of poetry.
١٦. نرى حبه فرضا ومرضاته مني
ومدحته بيت القصيد المرتل
17. The beautiful meanings of his noble qualities appeared to us,
More brilliant in arranging words than jewelry.
١٧. تجلت علينا من بديع صفاته
معان لنظم القول ابهى من الحلى
18. And mentioning the youth for merit narrates a cure,
While deficiency comes with the excuse of the excuser.
١٨. وذكر الفتى للفضل يروى تعلة
وللنقص ياتي علة المتعلل
19. And how many between one who bestows and avails nature,
And one who cannot obtain a promise without pleading.
١٩. وكم بين من يسدى ويجدى سجية
ومن لا ينيل الوعد دون توسل
20. So where are his equals in pious hastened kindness,
And the kindness of others guaranteed postponed?
٢٠. فاين مباريه ببر معجل
وبر سواه ضمن ملث مؤجل
21. We see from it, by your Lord, that he
Is glorious, and whoever contends with him in it is like rubble.
٢١. معال نرى منها وربك انه
مجل ومن جاراه فيها كغسكل
22. If the darkness of night were eloquent with it,
It would not conceal the dawn, solving every problem.
٢٢. فلو ان جوز الليل منتطق بها
لا سفر عن صبح جلا كل مشكل
23. The Merciful has prevented me from the sanctity of seeking,
With the comfort of permitted rhymes, chained together.
٢٣. اعاضني الرحمن من حرمة الطلا
براح حلال من قوافيه سلسل
24. So I am not sinful in composing them,
Nor excused in repeating them.
٢٤. فما انا في تفجيرها بمؤثم
ولست على تكريرها بمعذل
25. My praise falls short given his high merits,
So I relax, Ismail the most meritorious.
٢٥. تقاصر مدحي عند طول علائه
فارخت اسماعيل الطف مفضل